Browsing all posts in tutorial.

Expose for the Sky

A reader recently asked, “I’ve read a lot of photography articles where they say to “expose for the background” or “meter for the subject”, then “recompose and shoot”. When I do that, it still doesn’t work! My camera just adjusts the exposure for whatever I’m focusing on. For instance, if I want to take a [...]

Bit Depth vs. Dynamic Range in Layman’s Terms

Hi friends! A reader recently sent me an e-mail asking me to explain the difference between bit depth and dynamic range, so I thought I would post the explanation here for everyone’s benefit. Bit Depth A bit is defined as the smallest unit of data. It’s binary – it can be either 1 or 0, [...]

A Splash of Color in Lightroom

Here is how to add a splash of color to a black and white photo, using Lightroom 3. The original photo (SOOC): I want to make the entire photo black and white, with the exception of the red stairs. In the Develop module, click on the Adjustment Brush, and in the tool menu that appears, [...]

Your Weekend Project – Drip Drip Drop!

I just had way too much fun taking pictures of drops of water. This is a GREAT rainy-day (or cold winter day) photography project. It’s also a great teaching method if you have children or teens interested in photography! Here’s what you need: – A camera (naturally!) – A tripod – An external flash – [...]

How To Photograph Fireworks

Well, my friends in the U.S., it’s that time of year again! Time for the nearly-obligatory post about how to photograph fireworks for your 4th of July celebration. 1. Location. It’s important to get to your location early so you can scout out a vantage point with uninterrupted views. I personally like to be up [...]

Back to Basics: Image Resolution

Image resolution – how much detail an image holds – is measured in pixels per inch, or ppi. It is also referred to by the width and the height of the image as measured in pixels (i.e. 640×427, 1024×683, etc.). The more pixels the image possesses, the better the image quality. Rules of Thumb There [...]

Photograph The Moon — March 19, 2011

Whether you’ve photographed the moon numerous times or have just thought about doing it, Saturday evening, March 19, 2011, is a must do evening. On that evening the moon will be at its perigee (closest to the Earth) and according to one article I read it will appear 14% larger than normal. This event, the [...]

Tethered Shooting With A Canon DSLR

Tethered shooting is a useful photography tool. With the use of a USB or firewire cable run between the camera and a computer, the photographer can instantly review their shots on the computer screen. As the shutter is pressed, the images are recorded on the computer hard drive rather than the camera’s memory card. This [...]

Review: Kelby Training

A couple of weeks ago, I finally subscribed to Kelby Training. I say “finally” because I have been mulling over the purchase of this subscription, and an accompanying subscription to NAPP, for quite some time. Everyone I consulted with about these memberships responded with the same advice: “Do it. You won’t regret it.” So, since [...]

Rounded Corner Tutorial

Last weekend I was messing around in the back yard, trying to determine how best to photograph subjects in harsh light where the sun was directly overhead (another topic for another day). I had my Lensbaby Composer on my Canon EOS 7D and was just messing around. When I got back to my computer and [...]